As a result of last weekend’s snowstorm that dumped over a foot of snow in some areas of the state, Madison police officers issued approximately 1,000 parking citations to cars parked on streets of the isthmus.
Madison Police Department Captain George Silverman said about 500 tickets were given each night of the city’s snow emergency, which was issued Saturday and continued through Sunday night.
He said tickets were issued consistently throughout the snow emergency zone, and officers did not concentrate on the campus area.
Last weekend’s snow emergency was the second emergency declared in the city this winter.
During a snow emergency, alternate side-of-the-street parking restrictions are in effect for the entire city, including the Downtown/Isthmus Snow Emergency Zone, which runs from Thornton Avenue on the northeast to Park Street and Proudfit Street on the southwest and from Lake Mendota to Lake Monona.
Overnight parking fines in the Snow Emergency Zone are $20. Outside the zone, tickets for alternate-side parking violations are $10.
As of Monday, Silverman said he had no knowledge of the city towing any cars, though the department was trying to contact some vehicle owners whose cars hindered plow efforts.
“We do have some problems with some cars buried in the snow,” Silverman said.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he regularly receives complaints from constituents about the city’s parking laws, which mandate compliance from Nov. 15 to March 15, but that no viable solution exists to keep roads clear during a snowfall.
“I hope no one thinks we do this to make money,” Verveer said. “We do it to enforce parking compliance.”
Verveer said numerous residents likely received tickets both Saturday and Sunday nights because they do not understand the snow emergency regulations and do not realize the regulations last 48 hours.
“Snow emergencies are usually issued when about three inches of snow falls in one storm,” Verveer said. “Sometimes, students don’t get word of the snow emergency and end up paying fines.”
Silverman said area residents can call 261-1111 to find out the status of parking restrictions and snow emergency enforcement.